Obamania

Barack Obama drew 20,000 people to hear him speak in Austin yesterday. Howard Dean drew 3,000 people in Austin at this point in the '04 campaign and that was considered off the charts. To put it mildly, this guy is doing something right. Oh yeah: it was raining the whole time.

Word:

Obama, speaking at a massive outdoor rally in Austin, Texas, said British Prime Minister Tony Blair's decision this week to withdraw 1,600 troops is a recognition that Iraq's problems can't be solved militarily.

"Now if Tony Blair can understand that, then why can't George Bush and Dick Cheney understand that?" Obama asked thousands of supporters who gathered in the rain to hear him. "In fact, Dick Cheney said this is all part of the plan (and) it was a good thing that Tony Blair was withdrawing, even as the administration is preparing to put 20,000 more of our young men and women in.

"Now, keep in mind, this is the same guy that said we'd be greeted as liberators, the same guy that said that we're in the last throes. I'm sure he forecast sun today," Obama said to laughter from supporters holding campaign signs over their heads to keep dry. "When Dick Cheney says it's a good thing, you know that you've probably got some big problems."

How many will he get in Cleveland on Monday?

[photo credit: mr. wright, who says obama wore this hat for only 10 seconds]